Stability Questions
1. If rising 5th graders are given a choice to stay at their current school rather than transferring, what happens to their siblings the years afterwards?
If rising 5th graders are allowed to remain at the current school, their younger siblings will go on to the new school and remain at the new school the following year.
2. If the traditional elementary school is balanced, why doesn’t the entire population go to the same middle school, they would then feed into the same high school?
The size of schools is a factor as well as the transportation pattern for an elementary school. Just because an elementary school is “balanced” does not mean that the middle school would also be balanced because of the number of other elementary schools that would feed it. Feeder patterns are something that is reviewed annually by the Office of Growth Management.
3. What can be done to keep the older grades together (grades 6-12) that has been together for years? (i.e. the stability issue for kids who have been together since kindergarten?) (example: Hilburn Elementary _ Leesville Middle _ Leesville High)
As referenced above, the size of schools and the location of nodes may not allow this type of feeder pattern across the district. Efforts are made to maintain an acceptable feeder pattern. It is reviewed annually. Experience has shown that while some parents find feeder patterns very important others do not wish to have their children reassigned from one school to another to adjust a feeder pattern.
4. In 2006, I will have a rising 11th and 10th grader. How will grandfathering work if they have to leave Green Hope and go to Panther Creek? Would I have two different high schools?
If you have a rising 10th and a rising 11th grader in 2006 and you are reassigned from your current school to Panther Creek and the current assignment practices are in place, the rising 11th grader would stay at the current school and graduate from that school while the rising 10th grader would go to Panther Creek for the remainder of his/her high school experience.
5. Feeder patterns are very important. My son and daughter will go to different high schools than the kids that they went to middle school with? Why single out a few students?
Growth Management continues to monitor feeder patterns. The size of the schools, the frequency of reassignment, and the size of the nodes are all considered. Please refer to the other questions on feeder patterns to get a more complete picture of this process.
6. Why not have neighborhood schools-community? Is there a study that shows if kids went to closest school, would there be overcrowding? Why not worry about stability of families, children, instead of meeting F&R, ESL dollars and give the dollars where needed. Let the kids go to the school like we did growing up?
If all students were assigned to the closest school, there would not be enough room to house them in many schools and other schools would have empty seats. Approximately 90% of elementary students are assigned (but may not attend) a school that is within five (5) miles of their residence. The district is concerned with offering a quality program to every student. Money is not always the answer. High concentrations of students with high needs may not get the same quality education they would receive if more equally distributed among many schools.
7. Why is there no longer than three year reassignment plans? Why is there preference to certain nodes as far as movement (east to west)? Why are nodes moved from a school (capped) to one with 13 trailers and 80% capacity? Why is no room left for growth?
The growth in Wake County and the lack of funds to build sufficient schools means that we must use all seats each year. It would be nice to “save” seats for future growth but that is not possible since there are students waiting to “sit” in those seats now. When schools have been capped because the school could not contain the growth, the nearest available seats were used.
8. Can reassignment and feeder patterns be based on high school assignment (high school closest to node) and work backwards to middle and elementary assignment?
Feeder patterns are reviewed in a variety of ways, including from high school down.
9. Node 561.0 wants its high school students moved to the 9th grade centers and to Green Hope High or Apex High. Our high schoolers must catch the bus at 5:10 am; Athens’ first bell is at 7:25 am. If they are not reassigned in 2003, then they will be too old to be reassigned in 2006. This will split families. How do we get this on your agenda?
You should submit a specific request to the Office of Growth Management. It is anticipated that there will be few if any high school reassignment moves until 2006 in the western part of the county but it can be reviewed.
10. If my child is reassigned and I want to keep her in the K-1 program (stability) until she finishes, will I have that choice?
Under the present structure, a student reassigned from an existing to a new school can only stay if they are a rising fifth (5th) grader. Others can request a transfer but these have generally not been approved.
11. My kids are part of a K-1 program at Green Hope Elementary, one will be entering the first grade next year, can we opt to stay in the program for the remainder of the program?
See previous question